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| Give the poor Sutton goalie a break: this was pie-eating, not match-fixing | Give the poor Sutton goalie a break: this was pie-eating, not match-fixing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Football romantics hoping to witness one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history on Monday evening were left disappointed by the sight of the mighty Arsenal brushing aside plucky Sutton at Gander Green Lane ground with a routine 2-0 win. | Football romantics hoping to witness one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history on Monday evening were left disappointed by the sight of the mighty Arsenal brushing aside plucky Sutton at Gander Green Lane ground with a routine 2-0 win. |
| At least, in the 83rd minute, they could take comfort in the reassuring spectacle of the non-league side’s 23-stone reserve goalkeeper guzzling a meat pie in the dugout. Such moments tend to be ripe with symbolism, epitomising an apparently egalitarian competition that allows pub teams the opportunity to dream of toppling Premier League megabrands, destined to be replayed for years to come in humorous clip shows and more serious magic-of-the-Cup documentaries. | At least, in the 83rd minute, they could take comfort in the reassuring spectacle of the non-league side’s 23-stone reserve goalkeeper guzzling a meat pie in the dugout. Such moments tend to be ripe with symbolism, epitomising an apparently egalitarian competition that allows pub teams the opportunity to dream of toppling Premier League megabrands, destined to be replayed for years to come in humorous clip shows and more serious magic-of-the-Cup documentaries. |
| To TV viewers, the goalkeeper in question, Wayne Shaw, actually looked like he had just stepped out of the pub. He was even reported to have joined Sutton fans in the bar at half-time. | To TV viewers, the goalkeeper in question, Wayne Shaw, actually looked like he had just stepped out of the pub. He was even reported to have joined Sutton fans in the bar at half-time. |
| Until Monday, at least, Shaw was deemed to be one of the game’s “good guys”. Before Piegate, he was the club’s unsung hero – Mr Sutton. As well as making occasional forays on to the pitch, he was goalkeeping coach, caretaker of their plastic turf and community liaison officer. He often even slept overnight at the ground to help prepare for match days. | Until Monday, at least, Shaw was deemed to be one of the game’s “good guys”. Before Piegate, he was the club’s unsung hero – Mr Sutton. As well as making occasional forays on to the pitch, he was goalkeeping coach, caretaker of their plastic turf and community liaison officer. He often even slept overnight at the ground to help prepare for match days. |
| To many, he was the antidote to modern football: a larger-than-life character who put the fun and commitment back into a bland, corporatised game skewed in favour of a powerful, moneyed elite. But it turns out that Shaw was not the messiah, exactly. He had been, in fact, a bit of a naughty boy. | To many, he was the antidote to modern football: a larger-than-life character who put the fun and commitment back into a bland, corporatised game skewed in favour of a powerful, moneyed elite. But it turns out that Shaw was not the messiah, exactly. He had been, in fact, a bit of a naughty boy. |
| Before the game, Sun Bets offered odds of 8-1 that he would eat a pie on camera during the match. He knew about the bet and scoffed down the food, he said, for “a bit of banter”. For this one misjudgment he has been hung out to dry. | Before the game, Sun Bets offered odds of 8-1 that he would eat a pie on camera during the match. He knew about the bet and scoffed down the food, he said, for “a bit of banter”. For this one misjudgment he has been hung out to dry. |
| The Football Association is launching an inquiry to determine whether he breached its gambling regulations. The Gambling Commission’s enforcement and intelligence director, Richard Watson, declared: “Integrity in sport is not a joke and we have opened an investigation to establish exactly what happened.” David Schollenberger, head of gaming and leisure at Healys law firm, even suggested he could have committed a criminal offence, and be facing two years in prison. | The Football Association is launching an inquiry to determine whether he breached its gambling regulations. The Gambling Commission’s enforcement and intelligence director, Richard Watson, declared: “Integrity in sport is not a joke and we have opened an investigation to establish exactly what happened.” David Schollenberger, head of gaming and leisure at Healys law firm, even suggested he could have committed a criminal offence, and be facing two years in prison. |
| This is an incredible overreaction to a humorous, misguided – and, I would argue, harmless – incident that has clearly backfired. There is nothing to suggest that Shaw ate the pie for his own fiscal gain. It was not match-fixing. He was not on the field. And, with all Sutton’s substitutes used up, he was not going to be taking any part in the game. In any case, it’s hard to see how Shaw’s not eating a pie would have halted Arsenal’s progress. | This is an incredible overreaction to a humorous, misguided – and, I would argue, harmless – incident that has clearly backfired. There is nothing to suggest that Shaw ate the pie for his own fiscal gain. It was not match-fixing. He was not on the field. And, with all Sutton’s substitutes used up, he was not going to be taking any part in the game. In any case, it’s hard to see how Shaw’s not eating a pie would have halted Arsenal’s progress. |
| The FA, whose flagship trophy was sponsored by the gambling company Littlewoods only a couple of decades ago, can rightly be accused of double standards. Rather than going after those big clubs that are sponsored by betting companies – most Premier League clubs have a betting partner – and addressing the issue of how the “people’s game” got into bed with gambling organisations, they have turned their ire on a “roly-poly” non-league keeper who made a silly mistake at the behest of a national newspaper. | The FA, whose flagship trophy was sponsored by the gambling company Littlewoods only a couple of decades ago, can rightly be accused of double standards. Rather than going after those big clubs that are sponsored by betting companies – most Premier League clubs have a betting partner – and addressing the issue of how the “people’s game” got into bed with gambling organisations, they have turned their ire on a “roly-poly” non-league keeper who made a silly mistake at the behest of a national newspaper. |
| Shaw has lost his livelihood, but the Burnley midfielder Joey Barton, who was charged by the FA for placing 1,260 bets in the past 10 years, is still playing in the Premier League. | Shaw has lost his livelihood, but the Burnley midfielder Joey Barton, who was charged by the FA for placing 1,260 bets in the past 10 years, is still playing in the Premier League. |
| “Wayne’s absolutely devastated,” revealed Sutton’s manager, Paul Doswell, after Shaw left the club. “He has been swept along with what has happened in the last three or four weeks since the cameras got him at the Leeds United game. It’s obviously got into another world in terms of what he’s used to. I think he’s been ill-advised at times and he’s just made a genuine mistake. He’s been heavily criticised in the papers this morning. He’s such a lovely man but his judgment obviously wasn’t great.” | “Wayne’s absolutely devastated,” revealed Sutton’s manager, Paul Doswell, after Shaw left the club. “He has been swept along with what has happened in the last three or four weeks since the cameras got him at the Leeds United game. It’s obviously got into another world in terms of what he’s used to. I think he’s been ill-advised at times and he’s just made a genuine mistake. He’s been heavily criticised in the papers this morning. He’s such a lovely man but his judgment obviously wasn’t great.” |
| Forget the magic of the Cup. Football’s treatment of a loyal, fun-loving, pie-eating 45-year-old has left a nasty taste in the mouth. | Forget the magic of the Cup. Football’s treatment of a loyal, fun-loving, pie-eating 45-year-old has left a nasty taste in the mouth. |
| • Anthony Clavane’s latest book, A Yorkshire Tragedy (Riverrun), is out now |